An Unintentional Hero
While the uncle and nephew were having their ominous conversation, Tae-hyun returned home. Kim Tae-san was stealing glances at him, pretending not to notice his arrival.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Father?"
"Are you really going to release more demons?"
Revenge was sweet, but now that it was Tae-hyun's turn to act, Tae-san was starting to feel a chill creep up his spine. Galgral's descent upon the Auston Kingdom was already a massive disaster. The guilds holding nearby territories had already declared a state of emergency. Those close to the Suning Guild's Kadalta Castle were desperately preparing for a siege, while even those further away watched with anxious eyes.
A few guilds had suggested launching a preemptive raid, but none of them actually stepped forward. If they fought and lost, the consequences would be too devastating.
"Haha. Actually, I'm thinking of connecting the gates of the Demon Realm directly to the Auston Kingdom. I was just trying to decide on the best location."
"Hey, hey!"
"I heard Aralta Castle has excellent feng shui for connecting to the Demon Realm."
"No, it doesn't! Aralta Castle is terrible for that!"
Aralta Castle was a territory that the Choigang Jijon Mussang Guild had captured and poured massive amounts of gold and cash into developing! The mere suggestion of Tae-hyun linking a demon gate to it made Tae-san's blood run cold.
Of course, Tae-hyun had absolutely no intention of doing so. Bringing more demons from the Demon Realm would only put him in danger later on. Even now, he was running himself ragged trying to deal with Galgral because the demon seemed too dangerous to leave unchecked...
But that didn't mean he couldn't use the threat to torment his father.
"Sigh. I went to SI Entertainment today, and the emotional wounds from the insults I endured are just too deep..."
"What emotional wounds?! I asked Jun-sik about it!"
If anyone at SI Entertainment had actually insulted Tae-hyun, Tae-san would have been the first to charge in and tear the place apart. But according to Jeong Jun-sik, SI Entertainment had offered Tae-hyun the absolute best terms possible.
I honestly don't know what they see in Tae-hyun to give him such a sweet deal. I couldn't understand it at all.
Since Jeong Jun-sik would never lie, Tae-hyun was clearly just playing the victim!
"Wow. So you're saying you'd rather trust someone else's word over your own son's? I'm deeply hurt. I guess I have no choice but to open that demon gate."
"No! You must have been so deeply hurt, my son!"
"You did everything you wanted, and now you're playing innocent..."
Tae-san had stayed quiet until Tae-hyun signed the contract with SI Entertainment, and only now was he trying to coax him with sweet words. Tae-hyun found his father's shallow, paper-thin schemes incredibly annoying.
"If you're so sorry, then help me hunt some demons."
"Huh?"
"I'm going to take down Galgral."
"Uh..."
"What, you don't want to? If you don't want to..."
"No! Of course I'll help! My son is working so hard, how could I not!"
Tae-san slapped Tae-hyun on the back and laughed boisterously.
But if this kid actually beats Galgral, that's ominous in its own way...
Tae-san felt a lingering sense of unease. Even if Tae-hyun managed to slay the demon, if he grew any stronger, Tae-san's own safety within the game would be compromised. Yet, he couldn't back out now. Even though Tae-hyun was his son, he was fully capable of opening a demon gate right in the middle of their fortress.
He was a lunatic with both the power and the sheer willpower to pull it off!
"Hmm. I get the feeling you're cursing me out in your head, Father..."
"..."
When Tae-hyun logged in, Lee Da-bi was jumping up and down with her arms raised in a victory pose.
"...What's wrong with her?"
"Ask her yourself."
Cain shrugged and stepped back.
Lee Da-bi shouted in an ecstatic voice, "We hit the jackpot!"
"You know it's incredibly terrifying when you say that, right? Please tell me you didn't cause some massive disaster while I was gone."
"Of course not! Right after the demons went wild last time, I had the Power Warrior Guild members sweep up all the anti-demon items they could find. I figured the prices would skyrocket."
"You actually thought of that in the middle of all that chaos?"
"Well, my class is a Merchant, after all."
Lee Da-bi puffed out her chest with a proud, smug expression. Her calculations had been spot on. The guilds preparing to face Galgral and the demon army had begun buying up every consumable item they could lay their hands on!
Cain asked curiously, "By the way, why weren't you online earlier? You're usually logged in by this time."
"My dad tricked me into signing a contract with SI Entertainment, and then I got blackmailed and taken advantage of by Lee Se-yeon."
"...What? I think I misheard you. Can you say that again?"
"Forget it, man. It's not like it's good news anyway."
"Are you going to be on TV?!" Lee Da-bi's eyes sparkled as she stared at Tae-hyun.
"Not right away..."
"What kind of show? Is it something like We Got Married?"
"Are you insane?"
"...I was just joking..."
"There are jokes you can make and jokes you shouldn't. Besides, all I know how to do is play games. What would I even do on a show like that?"
Cain, who had been listening from the side, chimed in. "Exactly. And what did the other person do to deserve—urk!"
Lee Da-bi quickly cut him off before he could mention Lee Se-yeon's name. If he kept going, Tae-hyun looked like he might actually PK him on the spot.
"Oh, come on. You have plenty of talents, Tae-hyun."
"Like what?"
"Analyzing people, tormenting people, destroying people, extorting people... Ah! Ow, ow, ow!"
Tae-hyun grabbed both of Lee Da-bi's cheeks and pinched them, stretching them out to shut her up.
"Well, if I fail a few times on TV, the agency will realize they made a mistake and regret it. It's none of my business."
"But you shouldn't ruin it on purpose!"
"Do I look like a child? I won't do that. Broadcasts are serious business. Even if I try my best, it probably won't work out anyway."
"I think you'd actually do great..."
"You tend to overrate me sometimes. And usually, when you do, it's because you want to ask for a favor."
"If they talk about the game on TV, please mention me!"
"Fine. I'll make sure to do that."
Lee Da-bi clapped her hands in delight. Whether it was public broadcast or cable, the reach of mainstream television was on a completely different level. No matter what one did on personal streams, the vast majority of the public still watched regular television. The fact that Tae-hyun was going to appear on it was incredibly exciting news for her.
"By the way, Elder. Are you joining us?"
"Of course. But are you sure it's alright to include me?"
Chairman Yoo had already become a respectable gamer in his own right. There was no reason for him to miss out on a major quest like the Galgral raid.
"C-Chairman... Weren't you planning to go fishing...?"
When Chairman Yoo showed no intention of fishing and instead prepared for another hunt, Executive Director Kim, who was standing beside him, asked in a flustered tone.
Immediately, a thunderous scolding rained down on him!
"Quiet, man! I can fish anytime! Slaying demons and saving the continent comes first! Are you seriously telling me to talk about fishing while the continent is being trampled by demons?!"
"Y-Yes... I'm sorry..."
Executive Director Kim nodded with a dazed expression. He wasn't entirely sure what he had done wrong, but listening to Chairman Yoo, he felt like he had committed some sort of treason against the world.
Watching their exchange with a subtle expression, Tae-hyun shrugged.
"Since you're more than capable of pulling your own weight now, Elder, I'd be glad to have you along."
His level was one thing, but the gear he had acquired through pay-to-win was absolutely blinding. He had multiple sets of such top-tier equipment, swapping them out depending on the situation or his mood. Just looking at it made Lee Da-bi clutch her chest and gasp, "I think I'm having a heart attack...!"
"Haha. I shall show you how much I've improved. I won't let myself get scammed with my eyes wide open like last time."
Wasn't the one who scammed you with your eyes wide open actually Kim Tae-hyun? Cain thought to himself, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Saying it out loud would only bring a scolding down on his head!
"But when are we leaving? If the others slay the demon first..."
"You don't need to worry about that."
Tae-hyun was completely relaxed. He was certain that no other party or player in the area would dare to raid Galgral first. Galgral was a boss demon monster with almost zero public information. Conquering such a boss usually required sacrificing several parties first.
A few parties had to go in, die, gather information, and only then could a proper strategy be formulated based on that data!
In other words, the parties attempting a raid first were either incredibly reckless or exceptionally greedy.
Or they're extremely confident.
Tae-hyun belonged to the latter. He had himself and Lee Se-yeon. On top of that, Kim Chul-soo, a top-tier Priest ranker, was joining them, and they could extort—no, receive support from the Woodstock Guild, which, despite its heavy losses, still possessed decent numbers.
No matter how strong Galgral was, a demon crossing over from the Demon Realm to the continent was bound to be weakened!
If we eliminate Galgral in the Auston Kingdom, we can prevent him from invading my territory later, and I can clear my quest at the same time. No matter how I look at it, now is the perfect time.
The quest to unseal the demon Esla! It was an ultra-high-difficulty quest that required gathering three marks of powerful demons. Currently, Tae-hyun only possessed one. If Galgral dropped his weapon, that would make it two out of three.
And Tae-hyun was confident he could wrest that weapon from Galgral. When it came to item drops, his Luck stat would truly shine!
And finally, I'll force Lee Se-yeon to use her Authority skill and copy it!
A perfect scheme that would kill not just two, but three birds with one stone! Tae-hyun clenched his fist tightly.
Kim Chul-soo was the first to arrive. When the friendly-looking Priest player bowed politely in greeting, Chairman Yoo showed immediate interest.
"He seems like a very pleasant young man."
"Indeed."
"Unlike a certain someone..."
Chairman Yoo shifted his gaze. Feeling the stare, Tae-hyun looked back at him.
"What?"
"N-Nothing. It's nothing."
"It's been a while, Tae-hyun!"
"Good to see you. Thank you for coming to help."
Tae-hyun and Kim Chul-soo shook hands. Unlike Lee Se-yeon, Kim Chul-soo had absolutely no obligation to be here. He had come solely because of Tae-hyun's request!
Since we're on the same team, let's coordinate our skills and clear this quest together~ Please help me out~
He had agreed to come just based on those words. He was a truly rare, good-natured person!
He's the male version of Ju Hyeon-yeong!
Tae-hyun quickly and simply categorized Kim Chul-soo.
"Wow, everyone else is hesitating to raid Galgral, yet you came all this way."
"It's nothing. With you and Lee Se-yeon here, there's no reason to fear the raid. If we can't clear it with this lineup, then no other party in the game stands a chance, right?"
As they conversed, passing players recognized Kim Chul-soo and began whispering.
"Hey, isn't that Kim Chul-soo?"
"Then the guy next to him... Cain? And Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Whoa, I heard they came to the Auston Kingdom, but it's actually true! This is my first time seeing them!"
Unlike Tae-hyun, Kim Chul-soo politely greeted the players who recognized him.
"Hello, everyone."
"H-Hello! What brings you all here?"
"We're here to raid Galgral."
"..."
"!!!"
The players, who had struck up a conversation without thinking much of it, stared at Kim Chul-soo with shocked expressions.
They had suspected it, but they were actually going to hunt Galgral!
When a ranker of Kim Chul-soo's caliber gathered with Tae-hyun and Cain, there was bound to be a major objective. But to think they were going straight for Galgral! Especially now, when other guilds were hesitating due to the complete lack of information!
The news spread like wildfire.
The fact that they were heading straight into a raid while everyone else hesitated carried such a massive impact that it completely overshadowed another crucial detail.
Namely, the fact that Galgral had appeared in the first place entirely because of Tae-hyun!